Battle for Pride
by Baenase
Summary: In which two clans live in two different places, the fruitful Pridelands and the dry deserted Outlands. One clan has everything while the other has nothing. Ha-Ru meets a strange, cherry haired Outlander, and their encounter will be decisive for the two clans' relationship. (Character death and non-con elements in the future, will be rated M later on)
1. Ru-O

**Wow, I'd never thought I'd actually do this. But okay. Here I stand. This is a very lion king-ish !Au that has crossed my mind one day, and before I knew it, I was writing out an entire fanfiction in my head, and I desperately wanted to write it down, before my inspiration went :D So here it is! This is pretty much a (gay) adapted version of the Lion king, with humans and different names. I can assure you that this thing will have plenty of chapters.**

**This chapter is only introductory. The next part the main characters will come to light!**

**Enjoy!**

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This is a story about two brothers named Ru-O and Ru-A. Two brothers that contrasted like black and white, and light and shadow.

Ru-A was the Head of the Pridelanders. A land that has vegetation and fauna in abundance. The climate was ideal, having enough rainy days to conserve water and enough muscled animals to feed the entire tribe with. The people of his tribe were healthy, kind and lived in peace.

Ru-A was the perfect man. He was deemed the strongest and most respected Head of the Pridelanders there has ever been. He was a tall, ruddy haired man. He had a broad-chest, strong legs and sun-kissed skin. Despite his soft, kind emerald eyes, he gave of an authoritarian aura. He was a good consult, he came up with the best strategies for the hunt, and his fellow men executed his plans accordingly. The men looked up to him and the women worshipped him like he came from the heavens. Every single female wished to carry his child and bear a son for who they'd deeply wished for to be the Head's successor. Ru-A was the reason the tribe lived, as it were. Ru-A fulfilled the tribe's hopes and expectations, as a worthy leader should.

Ru-O on the other hand, he didn't receive so much positive attention as the Great Head. He was Ru-A's exact opposite, even in his physical appearance. In contrast to his brother, Ru-O's skin was rather pale and grayish. His built was a lot less bulkier than his brother and had dirty, pitch black hair. His eyes were as red as a beetroot and they were mean and cunning. The light, pink scar that vertically crossed his right eye made him all the more evil-looking. Ru-O has always been ill-famed for his skittishness and his taunting behavior. The children of the tribe often took away his food or his weapons, out of fear that he would one day use those sharpened spears against them, what he seriously considered on doing most of the time.

Because of these inevitable differences, the two men had an unstable relationship. They only grew further apart as they grew older and at some point not one member of the tribe could tell the two even knew each other. The only quality Ru-O and Ru-A shared was that both brothers were exceptionally good at hunting. Both new their strategies and had their senses always sharp. During the hunt the two men used to compete like two alpha males, in which one didn't belong to the pack. But like their relationship, as they grew apart, the hunting competition didn't even seem like a reason to hold a conversation anymore. Eventually, Ru-A went hunting with the men, while Ru-O darted off by himself, and caught his own food. Food he didn't share with other members.

But I guess that you can already tell what lead Ru-A to his mournful death. Ru-O's jealousy for Ru-A turned into hate and reached an absolute point where he desired to overthrow Ru-A and become the new Head, wanting to prove to the tribe that he's more than just a mere scoundrel living under Ru-A's shadow. He wanted to be seen into a new light. He wanted to rule, he wanted to be freed from these maddening chains binding him down.

Ru-O had a good relationship with Ki-A, who was Ru-A's oldest son, and successor. Ki-A was a boy with the best intentions. He was liked by every single woman and always helped them collecting berries, guarding their settlement when the men were gone hunting… But ah, he was so innocent, so ignorant. Though he was the splitting image of his father, he was dense. He had no grip on what his dear uncle was planning at all, and he wasn't even aware that he was used as an important device for Ru-O's final hunt. His ambush for Ru-A.

At night, Ru-O had led Ru-A to the cliff and pushed him down, planning everything carefully so that it looked like an accident. Ki-A had seen his father's body, the Great Lead's body, at the bottom of the cliff, limbs pointed towards directions that seemed unnatural, and eyes like a fish: Blank. There was only a vague trace of the horror on Ru-A's face when he fell. Ki-A, the innocent boy who yet had to discover the true horrors of the world, was shut silent, his eyes big, his hands shaking. Ru-O had only told Ki-A one thing. "Run". And Ki-A ran. He ran as far as he could.

The next time Ru-O would see Ki-A again would be years later. Ki-A would return, with the young and beautiful Na-La, who fled to the outer skirts of the Pridelands, where she encountered Ki-A and forced him to return to Ru-O. Ki-A returned, matured, experienced, with the same authoritarian aura as his passed brother. Never did Ru-O expect for these bright, kind emerald eyes that are so similar to Ru-A's to look at him with such appalling hate. After the decisive battle between the two, Ru-O had been banished from the Pridelands, along with his followers, who were once members of the tribe but have changed his devotion to Ru-O as the years passed. They willingly followed Ru-O to the Outlands, where Ru-O has developed an eternal hate.

For the Pridelanders, a time of peace met them. Ki-A became the new Head of the tribe and restored peace and kindness, like in Ru-A's time. He partnered with Na-La, and bore a child who had Na-La's messy brown hair and had Ki-A's baffling green eyes, or better said, Ru-A's. They named him Ma-Ko.

Ru-O, cropped up with pure hate, was determined to avenge Ki-A, so he powered up by reproducing, and founding his own tribe, who would become the notorious Outlanders of today. His resentment for Ki-A was so dark, so evil that it started radiating from him like pure, negative energy. The hate surged in the soils, the trees and the animals like evil magic. As the months went by, the soils turned dry, the animals fled to the Pridelands, and the raining has ceased to come by, turning the Outlands into the place that it is today. A mixture of a steppe and a desert. A vast, dry land with small trees and herb plants growing here and there. The caves didn't disappear, but these were now crawling with hyena's who were attracted by the smell of rotten animals that died of dehydration. The Outlands have been cursed by Ru-O. Unfortunately Ru-O had reached the age where he wasn't able to keep up his plans in order to avenge Ki-A. He choose out his cherry-haired grandson to be his successor, to carry on his dream. Who was only a few months back then. The child's name was Rin, and had the same scarlet eyes as Ru-O.

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**If you were wondering why I give them such weird names. Well, I've read a book once where they also have two syllables and hyphen in between. I somehow liked it because it gave a very 'primitive' vibe and stuff.**

**This AU will be mostly focused on Rin and Haru. But there will definitely be makoharu as well. Perhaps some marinka. I'll see about that.**

**Besides: It would be so much appreciated of someone could beta me, because I'm not very experienced in writing and I'm having kind of a rough time pouring my ideas into a decent fic. I'm really trying the best I can to stay grammatically correct, and formulate things well. Writing is hard, wow.**


	2. Ha-Ru

**Hi! First chapter update! Yay! I normally wanted one big chapter of child Ha-Ru meeting child Rin, but the introductory part of Ha-Ru's way of living and his relationship with the tribe members has gotten bigger than I thought.**  
**I didn't really reread this chapter so sorry if there are some mistakes! I'll make sure I correct them asap!**

**Side notes: Ha-Ru's mother is named Mi-Ya. In case you would get confused.**

**Enjoy!**

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Ha-Ru was already getting fed up with the legend of the Great Duel, as the tribe men call it. He was fascinated by the story when he was a little child. But as the years went by, he noticed the women and the children getting overboard with the details. They were starting to add horrifying, obviously made-up details, like that Ki-A took a firm hold of his spear and that he perforated right through Ru-O's left eye. Or was it the right eye? He doesn't remember.

As the children were carefully listening to the elder Mi-Ho, with disgust and fear written all over their faces, seven year old Ha-Ru would scoff a little, stand up and start searching for berries, because he didn't have anything else to do. Ma-Ko would always join him when he sees the black haired boy take off. Ma-Ko knew after a while too that his father would never have such horrifying actions done, and also wouldn't appreciate Mi-Ho spreading stories like that over the tribe members. Ma-Ko was three years older than Haru and was very bright for his age, with his personality a lot similar to his mother. Ma-Ko was just as kind as Na-La and had a strong sense of responsibility. He had a warm smile, kind green eyes and his tenderness has gotten to all the tribe members' heart. Although he had a strong, responsible Leader as a father he could look up to, he preferred keeping his eyes on his best friend. Although the younger male was pale, smaller and more delicate than him, his azure eyes were entrancing and beautiful. Most of the time it seemed like they were staring at a far distance, but whenever he needs to protect someone who is dear to him, his eyes would turned focused and so threatening that it would even send shivers down a lion's spine. Even Ki-A admitted that Ha-Ru could be a promising leader if Ha-Ru only had some motivation.

However, everyone knew that Ha-Ru didn't possess that motivation. It was obvious to anyone that the boy was very introverted and preferred spending time on his own at the lake. The boy had a very strange addiction to water, and loved swimming more than anything else. He would always head off to the lake whenever he could, but he wasn't always allowed because he needed supervision of his mother. Or when it rains, Ha-Ru would often sneak outside when the others searched for shelter in the cave, and lifted up his face towards the sky to let the raindrops fall on his eyes, cheeks, nose and lips entirely. Ha-Ru loved the feeling of the drops falling from the bone to his nose, over his cheeks, past his neck and then on his chest. During summer the others would leave him standing there, because there was no stopping him when he wants to. But when the days were turning colder, both Ha-ru's mother and Ma-Ko try their best to keep him sheltered, so he wouldn't catch a cold the next day.

When Ha-Ru was nine, he has gained more freedom from his mother and was, finally, officially old enough to go to the lake by his own. His mother was always worried that Ha-Ru would spot the nearby waterfall and would try to swim in there. The other side of the waterfall ended up in the Outlands, so having Ha-Ru in there back when he was a toddler was one of Mi-Ya's biggest fears. At nine years Ha-Ru was already aware of the waterfall, but never had the opportunity to watch it up close.

"Ha-Ru," She called him, "I beg of you, do not swim near the waterfall. You know how strong the current there is. If you get swept along, you'll end up in-"

"The Outlands, I know. Mom, I will be fine" Haru replied, rolling his eyes.

Mi-Ya took a deep concerned breath. There had been too many incidents with the boy. "Na-Gi and Rei will join you."

"But MOOOOOOM!"

"Do not 'mom' me. They are going with you. End of discussion."

"But..!" Ha-Ru looked at his mother's glaring blue eyes and decided that's it's best not to start a debate with her.

"Fine."He mumbled after a couple of seconds with an angry huff. He took off as fast as possible in the hope that Mi-Ya would be too slow to call the two younger boys so they could go after him.

Later when Ha-Ru reached the lake, he realized he was a little bit too slow, because he saw Na-Gi and Rei catching up with him quickly. Too bad.  
Ha-Ru didn't hate the two boys. They were quite nice since he has gotten to know them well, but they were often put in the position as Ha-Ru's guards so that he wouldn't do anything silly concerning water. So aside from picking berries together, or hunting some smaller animals and go fishing, he stays from a safe distance from the two boys so they won't be constantly reminded of their 'important' task during their spare time. Especially Rei had a strong sense of responsibility for his older friend.

"Ha-Ru!" Na-Gi cried, "Why do you always have to run?"

"Wanna go and swim alone" Ha-Ru replied loosely.

"Ha-Ru, please, you have to be more careful!" Rei butted in. But Ha-Ru only gave him a short glare. He swiftly removed the deerskin covering the lower part of his body and gracefully dived in the water like he was always meant to be in there.

"I think he will be okay, Rei. As long as he doesn't go near the waterfall, nothing should happen, right?" Na-Gi smiled cheerfully but his voice ended up sounding more concerned than he intended to.

"Right." Rei said as he watched Ha-Ru swim.

...

Meanwhile Ha-Ru drifted on the other side of the lake, hearing the soft clatter of the waterfall as he had his ears underwater. After several minutes he quickly batted one eye towards Na-Gi and Rei to see if they were still keeping an eye on him, but he noticed that the two weren't there.

...

"Na-Gi! Is this really okay?"

"Of course!" Na-Gi whispered. "Look at that little bunny over there! Let's catch it. So I can show daddy that I'm old enough to go hunting!"

"But we have to watch Ha-Ru!"

"He can wait, Rei!"

Rei stayed quiet for a while and then finally agreed to help Na-Gi catch the bunny. Rei wasn't so looking forward to go hunting but agreed because Na-Gi was counting on him.

...

Great. If Na-Gi and Rei are gone, Ha-Ru guessed it was safe to finally check out the waterfall. Like he promised his mother, he was not going to swim in the river leading to the waterfall, since the current near the waterfall was so strong. But he just needed to see it. For years now he has heard the constant faint clattering of the waterfall, but never had the opportunity to see it up close. According to the men the waterfall is just a bunch of water falling from a really high cliff and Ha-Ru got so excited just hearing of water... falling! With blue eyes sparkling in excitement Ha-Ru grabbed his deerskin, clothed his lower part and ran off between the trees, following the clattering sound.


	3. Rin

**Yes, two updates on the same day! Now that I finished the last chapter, I've had enough motivation to write again, soooo, yeah, why not? I couldn't wait to write the chapter where Ha-Ru meets Rin, so here you go! Rin's pretty cocky though. I hope that's how you like him!**

**Enjoy!**

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He can't believe it. He is so near. He can almost feel the wild water splashing over him. The clattering is so loud but to Ha-Ru the sound was like angels chanting. From where he was standing he had a complete view of the Outlands. Nothing but vast land with giant rocks sticking out. To his surprise he noticed that the river didn't continue. Although the waterfall continues flowing he couldn't see any sign of water further from where he was standing. What was there? Is this really because of Ru-O's curse? His curiosity about the Outlands was only brief. For a while he stood there gazing at the waterfall, a strong current with tons and tons of clear water shimmering in the sunlight flowing in a yet invisible pit. Slowly Ha-Ru felt drawn, his body moved on its own accord and without even realizing he was heading to the edge of the river. Water hitting against the rocks and spattering on his feet. He wanted to feel the water. Just feel it. And he will leave. He extended his hand. Every worry was slowly slipping away from him. Na-Gi or Rei spotting him. His mother telling him what to do… He sat on his toes, so he could bend over. The moment his fingers touched the water he slightly shifted because of the currents power. Suddenly a strong gust of wind came up from behind making Ha-Ru lose balance. With a loud gasp Ha-Ru fell forward and like he was a lightweight the boy got carried away by the water.

Ha-Ru tried screaming as he got carried away but the current made him dive underwater, so he tried to gasp for air as much as possible, but it was almost impossible to get to air, since his head was being dragged in and out of the water. Ha-Ru's panic reached its highest point when he felt himself falling backwards. In absolute fear he saw the clear blue sky and the sun shimmering upon him, like nothing was wrong. But there was something wrong. So much was wrong. I'm going to die, Ha-Ru thought, this is the end. He already thought of dying in the water. But he wanted to die peacefully in the lake when he was an old man. Not like this. His stomach made a triple somersault and felt himself getting sick as he fell. He couldn't see anything. He couldn't breathe. Suddenly, the somersault quit and his back fell on a cool hard surface. Then everything went black.

When he regained consciousness, the only thing he saw was red. Pure red. Everything was spinning and everything hurt. But wait. It hurt, so that means he was alive. He blinked with his eyes several times and realized that the smudgy red stuff was saying something.

"Hey! Oi! Ya waking up? Y'okay?"

Ha-Ru blinked again and saw a pair of bright red eyes and cherry hair staring at him.

"Hey you idiot! You're a Pridelander, aren't ya? Almost ruined our water supply!"

"W-wha-" Suddenly, Ha-Ru started coughing like mad and turned around to cough up the last bit of water that was left in his lungs.

"Yeah, cough all ya want buddy. If you were a bit fatter, all our water would be gone, all in that ugly pit of y'ask me."

"S-sorry" Ha-Ru said with a horse voice.

"Whatever." The red haired boy said with a huff.

Aside from the boy's odd appearance, he couldn't barely believe he was still alive. He was still here. In the Outlands, alright. But he lived.

"Thanks… for saving me." Ha-Ru said after slight hesitation. Now that the shock has washed over him, he realized how sore his back was and now had the opportunity to look better at his red haired companion, as he was brawling about the fact that Ha-Ru almost cut of his water supply by falling on the rocky bridge he had tried to enforce. The boy was incredibly skinny. He had little muscles on his arms from all the hunting, presumably, but everything else was skin over bone. The boy's cheeks were hollow and so were his eyes. His skin was covered in sand and he had his dirty sandy hair tangled up in a messy ponytail.

"Get up." The boy suddenly commanded. "Get up, for fuck's sake."

Ha-Ru tried to stand up as fast as possible, but it was hard because of stinging pain in his back. Panic for the boy was starting to rise up in his chest.

Right, this boy was an Outsider, of course the boy should hate him. Ha-Ru has everything while the boy has nothing.

"So why're ya here, Pridelander?" The boy said menacingly. Spitting out the word 'pride' like it was something disgusting. He was holding the sharpest spear Ha-Ru has ever seen, and that spear was pointed directly at Ha-Ru's chest. The boy's teeth were sharp like some wild animal. The boy in total was like a wild animal, and Ha-Ru had every reason to be afraid. Shivering and all panicky Ha-Ru backed up with his arms around him, trying to protect himself from the spear the boy was holding, bottom lip trembling along with the rest of his drenched body. He was going to die here, wasn't he. Even after falling from that gigantic cliff. Ha-Ru was shivering again. He was so scared. He was oh so scared. Suddenly the boy stopped growling like some tiger whelp and cocked a red eyebrow.

"What are ye doin'?

"Y-you.. What? Protecting myself!"

"What, fo'real? Ya think shivering like a nutcase will bring ya that far?"

"I'm scared!" Ha-Ru shouted. He realized he could only be honest with himself. He doesn't think there is a reason to act tough around him. He already proved his toughness somewhere along the waterfall.

"Wow, scared ya definitely are! The hell, I knew it, Pridelanders are all the same. They've all they already need. Th'animals just lie dead in front of ya. Ya don't even need a hunt…"

All of the sudden he heard growling beside him. For a second Ha-Ru thought that more of the boy's kin has arrived, ready to eat Ha-Ru alive. But the beasts that appeared in front of the two boys were not humans, but looking from their watering mouths they sure were going to eat them alive.

"Shit! Hyenas!" The boy shouted. "Run, fattie, RUN!"

Ha-Ru, who already has been threatened by death for the third time in a row, was completely astonished. He backed away when he saw the hyenas take charge and followed the red haired boy as fast as possible. He looked at the cliff and saw, oh help, the boy jumped past the waterfall's current, and jumped on the rocky cliff. The boy waited there and turned around to see Ha-Ru still running for his life.

"You can't even walk because of all that fat!" He shouted.

"Don't call me… FAT!" Ha-Ru shouted back with a voice already as horse as it can be. He made the biggest jump in his life and managed to crawl under the waterfall's current. Just fast enough so the three hyenas got caught under the water's power. Ha-Ru clumsily crouched up and climbed up the rocky cliff as fast as he could. Meanwhile the red haired boy was almost on the top of the cliff? How could he climb it so fast?

After a while Ha-Ru looked down and didn't see the hyenas anymore. Despite the relief, Ha-Ru still held tightly on the rocks and climbed as quickly as he could. The adrenaline was pumping through his veins and his senses were on sharp.

After climbing several minutes he finally managed to hit the tall warm grass. He was so worn out and decided to lie down for a bit. When he regained a bit of his breath he remembered that the boy was here somewhere as well. He stood up, the stinging pain in his small back returning again, because the adrenaline's effects have worn off. After a few seconds he saw little strands of cherry hair lying a few meters away from him in the tall grass. He pushed the boy, trying to wake him, but saw that it wasn't necessary, because he was wild awake, and still regaining breath. The redhead turned around and looked at the other, chest heaving fast.

"You're lucky… (huff)… that ya met me along the way… fattie…"

"Thank you." Ha-Ru said, dead serious. "I am indebted to you…You were very brave." Ha-Ru didn't smile often. But when he did smile, it was usually faked. He only smiled to satisfy others, not to satisfy him. But now, for the first time in Ha-Ru's life, the smile came right out of his heart. He had to smile for himself. He didn't remember being ever so grateful to someone in his life. Meanwhile the boy's hollow cheeks we're getting as red as his hair.

"I-uh-.. uh.. yeah, 's what I do… uhm… the name's Rin, by the way."

"I'm Ha-Ru." The raven said, unable to take down his smile now.


	4. The new Head

**I'm updating quickly for some reason. This is quiet a long chapter, more than 2000 words! :D**

**Very mild sexual content this time. I'm not sure if it even is sexual.**

**Enjoy!**

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Ha-Ru was at the lake again, drifting around in peace. He ignored the sound of the waterfall clattering. It was a longer walk to the lake now, since they have a new settlement somewhere further away from the border between them and the Outlands.

Eight years. It has been eight years since he has crossed that border.  
It has also been the last time he had seen Rin. The red haired boy who called him fat. He remembered his face vividly, despite the fact that Ha-Ru had been threatened by death for several times and had been sore from the painful drop from the waterfall. He still remembered the kid's red eyes and hair, his sharp teeth and his dirty hollow cheeks. Despite his unorthodox appearance, he was charmed by Rin. They had been talking in the tall grass for a while. Admiring Rin's sharp-toothed grin. Rin was explaining how the Outlanders didn't need anybody. That he took care of himself. Ha-Ru had thought it was cool, but immediately felt bad when most of Rin's kin had suddenly arrived, heavy breathing from the climb. They were all looking just as menacing as Rin did before at Ha-Ru. They were all so skinny; They looked so tired from hunting, and toughen up by the rough climate. And then Ha-Ru's tribe arrived, who were all well fed, looking a bit more civilized, accomplished, as it were.  
So many things were going on at that moment. His mother rushed to Ha-Ru, holding him, crying, screaming at him, pushing Rin away from him. Ha-Ru's fear of what was coming had returned in full blast and hoped that it would all wash over him. He had seen Ki-A's expression too. He looked so… appalled when he looked at the Outsiders' Leader. "Go-Ru" He said… was it Go-Ru?  
Ha-Ru didn't know what to think of it. He seemed totally different from when he smiled. Was that the same face he made when he fought Ru-O?  
And Ma-Ko. Ma-Ko had looked sad. Just very sad. He had been hiding behind Na-La's back the entire time.

Something definitely shifted inside the tribe's core since then. The men were much more keen on hunting. They had their senses sharper than usual, even when they were supposed to be sleeping with the women beside them. Everyone was alert. Especially Ha-Ru's mother. She was furious when they returned to the settlement that day. She prohibited Ha-Ru from returning to the lake. Ever again, she said. Ha-Ru was devastated. The period following after that he had only been helping the women and the children out with picking berries, adding logs to the campfire and fishing. Especially fishing. Ha-Ru had gotten better at distinguishing fish and the way they tasted. That's how he had acquired a very strange fondness of mackerel. He liked the fish so much that he didn't even bothered eating any of the meat the men caught. After a while Na-La had given birth to twins, a boy and a girl, and both also had brown hair, though they had Na-La's eyes. They named the boy Ren and the girl Ran. The atmosphere in the tribe's has gotten a lot happier since Na-La's birth. Everyone wanted to make sure Na-La had enough time to take care for the two. Mi-Ho always ordered Ha-Ru and Ma-Ko around to fetch some fruits and water so Na-La and the babies didn't get tired.

Ha-Ru didn't remember when his mother had allowed him go to the lake again. He knew it happened a very long time after the incident. He guessed it was around the period the boy's voice started dropping. And Ma-Ko was in the middle of a growth spurt. Ma-Ko shot up like tree. Before he knew it Ma-Ko was a head taller than him. Ha-Ru remembered that he had to stand on his toes to help Ma-Ko get his winter attire on, so he could wrap some of the mammoth skin around the boy's neck. Ma-Ko called it 'a scarf'.

Now it was summer. Ma-Ko had now fully grown to the leader's figure he had always meant to be. Ha-Ru just felt somewhere in his gut that Ma-Ko was soon going to be the new Head. He was always meant to be, but he sensed that he was mentally preparing now. Ma-Ko was now just as tall as Ki-A, he was also tanned, a broad chest, handsome… And Ha-Ru was still, well, Ha-Ru: Pale, almost as delicate as a female, and slender with toned muscles. Na-Gi didn't change much either, he was still as small and bubbly as the day he met him. He still had those curly blonde locks and big, purple eyes. And Rei, gosh Rei, he has changed too. Rei was very smart, and had recently helped Ki-A through with the strategies for the hunt. He was of great use, despite his bad eyesight. Both Ma-Ko and Rei were very active in the hunt now. Ha-Ru and Na-Gi sometimes didn't see them for days, because they were off hunting in a different location, claiming there were a herd of fat buffalo grazing there. Why wasn't he and Na-Gi not allowed to join them anyway? Rei was the same age as Na-Gi, yet he could join them and Na-Gi couldn't. Ha-Ru was sure Na-Gi was swift and good at sneaking up on the prey. Didn't he catch a rabbit with his bare hands once?

But why couldn't Ha-Ru join them? Ha-Ru wasn't frail. Yet Ki-A didn't allow him to join them during the hunt. Tradition normally allows young men to join the hunt when their voice dropped and their growth spurt kicked in. Their puberty stands for facing manhood, and thus was a sign that they were old enough to go hunting. Ma-Ko had joined them since then, so did Rei…  
But Na-Gi and him… no. It had been years since both have had their puberty. Ha-Ru had it sooner than Na-Gi, since he was older. Yet, he was only allowed to go fishing, and guard the settlement when the men were gone.

Ha-Ru soon realized he was over thinking and was ruining his precious time in the water. He quickly dipped his head underwater and rose up again, waving his wet dark hair from his eyes. Running through it with his fingers for a while. His fingers and feet were starting to get wrinkly and so he decided to return to their settlement. It was dusk and the men should probably have returned by now as well. He waded to the border of the lake, got up and clothed himself.

"Ha-Ru!"

What? He turned around and saw Na-Gi hurrying over to him. He looked really tense.

"Oh, are you finished?" Ha-Ru nodded. "Good, you must come quickly, the men have just returned, but they look really bad! The Head is unconscious, covered in blood! Ma-Ko and Rei look banged up too! It looks like they have been attacked!"

Ha-Ru's blue eyes were wide open. Without further comment he followed a running Na-Gi to their settlement. "How about the other men?" Ha-Ru asked, catching up with Na-Gi.

"Everyone's injured! To-Mo said they wanted to lead a herd of buffalo nearer, but they got ambushed by beasts!"

"Ambushed by beasts?"

"Yeah! They were waiting for them apparently!"

"Did To-Mo say what kind of beast they were?"

"He did say something of hya-no...hyeno...-hyanena-"

Hyenas, Ha-Ru knew.

Ha-Ru spurted up the hill, were he saw smoke rising from the campfire. Both of them started to slow down and stood still when they saw To-Mo and a few other men heading into the cave.

"To-Mo!" Na-Gi shouted. To-Mo turned around Ha-Ru saw he cut his lip and had a heavily bleeding bite wound on his left shoulder.

"Na-Gi! Ha-Ru!" He said with a horse voice. Na-Gi briefly embraced To-Mo and then held him up by his shoulder, trying to hold him steady, since he was wavering a little.

"The Head looks worse." To-Mo breathed. "Bitten everywhere… blood. Go-Ro too. You should better check up on him. Rei has broken a leg. Ma-Ko.." Ha-Ru's breath hitched. "Ma-Ko has a black eye and has a few injuries. But he's one of the least injured."

Ha-Ru let out a big sigh. "Thank you, To-Mo." He said and then took off to search for Ma-Ko. After a few seconds he found Ma-Ko sitting in the end of the cave, getting treatment from Mi-Ho. "Ma-Ko!" Ha-Ru whispered and he fell on his knees, embracing Ma-Ko. His wounds looked nasty, and needed some stitching. "Are you okay?" Ha-Ru asked, holding Ma-Ko's face his hands, noticing the painful looking black eye. Ma-Ko gave him his kind trademark smile and said: "I'm fine. I'm glad you're here Ha-Ru."

"Ha-Ru." Mi-Ho intervened. "I'm going to look at the Head. You stay with Ma-Ko and stitch his wounds." Mi-Ho pushed a pile of strings in his palm and a small needle carved from wood. "I'll ask Sa-Fi to bring you water to disinfect the wounds. Rinse it carefully after you're done."

"Okay." Ha-Ru didn't have so much experience with stitching wounds, but knew the basics. He was probably going to use some water on that black eye too.

…

He was already halfway the stitching, and Sa-Fi had already passed by the give him a bowl of water. Ma-Ko stayed quiet the whole time and only stared at Ha-Ru, giving him that warm smile and that loving stare that always made him uncomfortable. As kids it felt normal to Ha-Ru for Ma-Ko to look at him like that, but now they're adults and until recently, his gaze has gotten more meaning than Ha-Ru would have first thought.

"Ma-Ko."

"Hnn."

"… Why are you so carefree?"

"I'm not carefree."

"Then why are you smiling like that?"

"Was I smiling?"

"Yes."

"Sorry, I'm really worried."

"…Okay."

Ha-Ru knew Ma-Ko often hid his worry behind a smile, but now he should be very concerned. Seriously concerned. His father was balancing on the border of life and death, yet he puts on a dumb smile. As if nothing's wrong.

"I'm sorry for making you worry, Ha-Ru. Please don't be angry."

"I'm not angry."

"You're frowning."

_Dammit Ma-Ko._

"You're father is dying. I don't get why-.."

Ha-Ru couldn't finish his sentence. He looked down. "You knew, but still…"

"Ha-Ru." Suddenly he felt a hot palm against his cheek. The palm pushed up his face and suddenly he met a pair of green eyes, a few inches away from his. His smile is gone. This time he does look worried. Ha-Ru shut his eyes and felt Ma-Ko's faint breath ghosting over his lips. Then their lips touched. It was so small, hesitant. His fingers were dancing through his black hair and it felt… really nice. Ha-Ru felt his fingertips carefully touching the backside of his head. His body has gotten involuntarily hot and craved for Ma-Ko's touch. He carefully opened his eyes. He could count the little freckles under Ma-Ko's eyes.  
Why were they doing this?

"Ma-Ko!" Na-Gi's voice suddenly came from the cave's entrance. Ha-Ru bounced back and realized Ma-Ko had been holding his waist with his other hand. With a faint blush on his cheeks he turned around and saw Na-Gi running towards them. "Ma-Ko," He huffed, "the Head wants to see you."  
Even though none of Ma-Ko's wounds were entirely stitched by Ha-Ru, he stood up and left the cave, walking between all the injured men, and the women and children taking care of them. Na-Gi and Ha-Ru stayed inside, keeping To-Mo and Rei company.

When Ma-Ko came back, the sky was pitch black. When he entered the cave it was so quiet that you could only hear the woods crackle in the campfire. Na-La and Elder Mi-Ho stood beside him. Na-La's eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks we're wet from the tears. Mi-Ho all the same.

"I've come to announce that my father, the Head," Ma-Ko paused, "…has deceased."  
An unexplained sadness has filled the cave. It was still painfully quiet in the room, apart from faint cries coming from the women. Na-La's knees buckled and could not longer hold up her desperate tears. Mi-Ho had her arms around her back in order to keep her steady. Ha-Ru and Na-Gi looked at each other. This could only mean one thing, and Ha-Ru could feel from the atmosphere that the men were thinking the same thing.

"I am your new leader."


	5. Dislocated

**Hello again! Now that all the stress of the exams and the entrance exams have faded away, I finally have enough time to continue this story! I gotta say that I enjoy writing this a lot. I have arrived at one of my favorite points in the story now. (As I already said, I have a whole fanfic in my head so I now where I wanna go.) Also, OH MY GOD, I completely forgot about Ran and Ren in the last chapter! Their father died and here I am forgetting about them, I feel terrible. I made up an excuse in this chapter for their absence, lol. **

**The chapters seem to be getting longer and longer as I'm moving on with this story. I'm getting a bit over excited, oops.**

**Reviewer StrayDogHowling028: Thank you very much for your review! I hope you will like this chapter!**

**Enjoy! **

* * *

The next morning the tribe was very tense. Ki-A's death was very sudden, and where the tribe was going, now Ma-Ko became the Head, was one big question. Aside from the men's terrible wounds, Na-La looked the worst of all. Ha-Ru had heard Na-La crying when he fell asleep after a long night, and had also heard her cry when he woke up. He saw Ma-Ko, Mi-Ho and Ma-Ko's younger siblings Ran en Ren keep her company. Even thought the twins were asleep the whole night, Na-La probably told them what happened when they woke up from their mother's cries. Ha-Ru watched them as Ran and Ren wrapped their arms around Na-La's neck, trying to console her. Ma-Ko was saying something to her, with his typically kind smile. Only now he looked much sadder than yesterday.

It was until noon Ma-Ko decided to make some plans with the men for the hunt. The men had to drop all of their provisions to keep the hyenas from attacking them, and the men haven't been able to eat so much yesterday. Their provisions from last time were getting scarce so they had to quickly pick up the hunt again. The only problem was that many of the men weren't able to walk anymore, including Rei, who broke a leg. Ha-Ru had hoped that Ma-ko would allow him and Na-Gi to replace them temporary. Or even better, he was too insecure to say it, that he could even permanently stay, since Ma-Ko is a good friend and trusts Ha-Ru. His expectations quickly grew when Ma-Ko ordered Ha-Ru and Na-Gi to join them at the gathering. Na-Gi seemed genuinely surprised about it, since Na-Gi's as carefree as a bird and joining the hunting team probably wasn't such a great concern to him.

….

"This place has been crawling with hyenas the last few days, Head." Rei said, leaning against the cave's entrance. The men were sitting in a circle behind him so he could still follow the conversation. "I assume they came from the Outlands, but how they managed to climb the cliff is one big question."  
Rei's right leg has been wrapped in something that looked like leaves from a palm tree, and they we supported by woven strings. He could only think of Elder Mi-Ho's healing techniques. She also taught the majority of the tribe how to stitch heavy wounds. If it wasn't for Mi-Ho, many would have likely bled to death yesterday.

"I suggest we head north." To-Mo said, looking at Ma-Ko. "I spotted a herd of antelope near the hills. I think they fled from the hyenas too. We could encircle them easily if we lead them one of the valleys."

"To-Mo." Go-Ro said smiling."Ma-Ko is Head for not even a day and you're already throwing all your suggestions in the group. Refrain from your plans and inform Ma-Ko about our last meet."

"Go-Ro, it's fine." Ma-Ko said. "I agree with To-Mo. And I think it's best to drop the last plan, since those hyenas are spreading fast. The longer we wait here the more animals will leave. Those beasts kill everything that stands in their way."

Ha-Ru's eyes flicked from To-Mo to Go-Ro, and then to Ma-Ko. Is the gathering usually this tense? Ha-Ru's intuition told him that this was only because of the danger of the hyenas getting nearer. Ha-Ru thought back of the waterfall he almost drowned in eight years ago. According to To-Mo those hyenas came from the Outlands. Even Ha-Ru, with his human hands and good physique, had trouble climbing the cliff back then. So how…? Rin's face flashed before his eyes. No, the Outsiders couldn't have taken them above. They despised the hyenas too. They literally eat _everything, _Rin had said to him.

"Ha-Ru."Ma-Ko suddenly said with a serious tone. Ha-Ru snapped out of his thoughts and looked Ma-Ko straight in the eye. "Since this is your first time joining the hunt, I want you to stay as close to the group as possible. Na-Gi too." Na-Gi looked up and nodded heavily. "To-Mo, Na-Gi and… Go-Ro will lead the herd in the valley." Go-Ro, who was sitting with his back against the rocky cave, gave one small nod. "Further I will have us split in separate groups. One will back up Ha-Ru, Na-Gi and Go-Ro if a part of the herd would diverge. The other group will join me. We will be waiting there, ready to launch our attack. Are there any questions?"

Ha-Ru, Na-Gi and the rest remained silent. Now Ha-Ru was convinced Ma-Ko had thoroughly prepared his words from the start. Ma-Ko was an insecure stuttering mess most of the time, and seeing Ma-Ko like this must be prove that Ma-Ko has anticipated this gathering. Ha-Ru admired Ma-Ko for focusing hard on his new position as a leader, right after his father's death, but was afraid that the sadness of his father's loss would slowly start eating on him. Ma-Ko tends to suppress his feelings behind a smile, but this time Ha-Ru felt Ma-Ko was using a different method to hide his sadness and it scared him all the more.

Later when the men were on their way to the north, they noticed the herd of antelope has moved a bit further than they anticipated. It was the first time Ha-Ru was in this part of the Pridelands. They usually had their settlements in the flatter area of the lands, so they had a full view of the lands and could spot herds and enemies. Ha-Ru looked at the plain field change into peaceful wavy hills and saw the river meandering into the basin.

"Ugh, this is gonna be tough."Go-Ro huffed, standing next to Ha-Ru. When Ha-Ru turned around he noticed that Go-Ro had gained a very ugly star-shaped scar right above his temple. It has been stitched rather poorly. "It's like they have moved a bit further from our attacking point. I think we need a bit more back-up, Head."

"No. We stick to the plan." Ma-Ko stated. Staring at the herd that was standing just not too close for them to notice the tribesmen. "Encircle them as much as possible, so they stay together. I want to see them all cooking above the campfire tonight."

"Hell yeah!" Na-Gi shouted. Ma-Ko and the rest started laughing but To-Mo quickly hushed them, to warn them about the antelopes.

"Okay, back to track." Ma-Ko finally said, with a faded smile from the laughter. "We will be heading there now. We will take another route, so that the herd doesn't see us. It will be a rather long run, so wait until you see us. Go-Ro, I leave you in charge."

"Got it." Go-Ro replied.

…

While Ha-Ru and the others stood behind the rock keeping close watch on the herd, Go-Ro stood a bit further to check if the other group has reached the hills. Ha-Ru peeked on the side and saw a bunch of small figures heading towards the basin in between the hills, evading the herd pretty well. They were almost there. Just a little tiny bit…  
Suddenly Ha-Ru saw the herd surging forward. Towards them. In the opposite way that they wanted to lead them to.

"Go-Ro!" Ha-Ru tried calling him as subtle as he could, but Go-Ro couldn't hear him. "Go-Ro!" Ha-Ru tried again, shouting a bit. This time Go-Ro turned around, but from the look he gave Ha-Ru it seemed like he understood what Ha-Ru was trying to tell him.

"Men! We have to advance now! They're moving in the opposite direction!" All the men lifted their spears at once with a determined look in their eyes. Suddenly Ha-Ru felt the excitement surge through his body, like he was feeling cool water touch his skin after a long and hot day.  
He was actually doing this. He was hunting.

The group passed around the rock with their spears pointing towards the herd of antelope. A couple of men started making loud growling noises to stop the herd. Ha-Ru observed the men and tried to imitate them, trying to understand their method. He saw the men disperse, moving to the left and the right, leaping past the frightened antelopes while having their sharp spears directed towards them. Some of the men were dangerously close, but had everything under control. The herd was driven together and were running towards their attacking point, as fast as they could. Ha-Ru couldn't help but find it amazing. They have done this so many times, and it was the first time he could actually see them at work. Hunting really is like a second nature to them. After a moment of observation Ha-Ru leaped forward towards the herd. Running a few meters behind the last antelope now, he watched Na-Gi standing behind Go-Ro, shouting things he could not hear from where he was standing. Ha-Ru felt incredible as he ran. He_ is_ part of the tribesmen. He _is_ hunting with them. He _is _finally worth it. With eyes sparkling in determination he held his spear towards the small antelope in front of him and roared. Not _ever_ thinking of stopping.

…

Laughter filled the settlement when the men returned. The sun was standing high and not a single cloud hung in the sky. When they reached the camp, each of the men were carrying a fat chunk of antelope meat on their backs. When the women and children noticed they couldn't help but stand up and cheer for them. They laughed and danced and flew into the men's arms to hug and kiss them. Mi-Ho quickly went over to Ma-Ko and Go-Ro and gave Ma-Ko one big kiss on the forehead, and Go-Ro, to his surprise, one full on the mouth. Ha-Ru watched Ma-Ko as he was getting tons and tons of praise from the women. He laughed as they draped over him and kissed him all over the place. Ha-Ru smiled. Everyone was so proud of Ma-Ko. He was leader for only a day, still overwhelmed from the shock of losing a great father and he managed to return from one of the most successful hunts from the season. He wouldn't call _his_ hunt successful, since this was his first. But he hopes that he will learn a lot from the men in the future.

He flinched when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Let me help you." To-Mo's voice said. Ha-Ru had some injuries after that antelope had run over him. He had been so caught up in the moment that he just let down his guard and had let the antelope attack in him in self-defense. Ever since that moment he had felt a stinging pain in his shoulder and hip. From what he could see he had several blue hoof-shaped spots on his back and chest, but assumed the pain must be internal.  
These beasts look stronger than they look.

To-Mo grabbed Ha-Ru's provisions and forced him to sit down. He sat behind him and then softly pushed his palm against his shoulder, causing Ha-Ru to gasp in pain.

"I think it's dislocated." To-Mo said. "I'll call Mi-Ho to fix it."

"Okay."

When Mi-Ho arrived, she smiled at him. "Getting a bit over-confident, I heard?" She said with a giggle. Ha-Ru, who was already ashamed of his actions, blushed a deep red and turned his head, mumbling "Whatever."

"Let me look at that."Mi-Ho ordered and sat behind Ha-Ru. She carefully moved her hands over the sore parts and then gave it a small tap, causing Ha-Ru to flinch again. "You were right, To-Mo. It's dislocated. Okay Ha-Ru, this might hurt a little, but you have to do exactly as I say. Alright?"

"Yes."Ha-Ru said. The red on his face immediately drawing away.

"Okay, keep your back straight. Now bow your elbow in front of you like… this." She took Ha-Ru's forearm and held those up in front of him, so his forearm and upper arm made a 90 degree angle. Ha-Ru hissed in pain, but tried to endure it. "Good, now turn it around. So that your arms are facing away from you." Mi-Ho continued. She held his arm into the right direction so Ha-Ru was executing it properly. Now Ha-Ru was really hurting. "That's it. Now you lift your arms into the air, above your head, than you should feel a click."

Ha-Ru did what she said and moved his arm from the shoulder slowly from his side to above his head. All of the sudden the pain just disappeared. He rotated his arms several times, to check if it worked. It was a wonder. Ha-Ru turned around and saw that Ma-Ko and To-Mo were looking at him with their mouths in a perfectly shaped 'O'.

"You are truly amazing, Mi-Ho." To-Mo then said with a smile.

Later in the afternoon a feast was given to celebrate the great catch. Everyone was laughing and dancing and everyone was eating to the fullest. Everyone was continuously adding new meat on the prod that was rotating above the fire. At some point Ma-Ko had to force everyone to stop, because otherwise they wouldn't have enough meat left for the next day. Right after that announcement Ma-Ko had asked Ha-Ru to see him in the cave. So now he was on his way. He saw Rei and Na-Gi sleeping next to each other next to the cave's entrance. Both of them had a round belly and looked very peaceful and happy. Smiling softly, Ha-Ru headed inside.

"Ha-Ru." Came from the end. It was dark inside and could barely make up Ma-Ko's green eyes in the distance. He could see some tribe members sleeping in the corner and heard them snoring softly. Trying not to wake them, Ha-Ru walked on his toes and sat next to Ma-Ko, who shoved to the side so there was enough space between them.

"Something has kept me busy for a while." Ma-Ko finally whispered, looking down. His lips turned up to a smile, but his eyes were all sadness again. "You know about the tradition… that uh… the leader has to choose-you know- a partner for the rest of his life and... have children."

"Yeah." Ha-Ru said. "All the women like you, Ma-Ko, so that shouldn't be a problem."

"That's not what I'm worried about." Ma-Ko's head bucked, so his fluffy hair fell in front of his eyes. "A have chosen a partner," He continued, "but my partner… is not a woman. And he still has to agree."

What escaped Ma-Ko's lips had yet to sink in Ha-Ru's ears. _Wait, why not a woman? Does he mean that_… Ha-Ru's blue eyes widened and were staring blankly at the ground. Hesitantly, he turned his head to Ma-Ko, who also turned to him, so they were now looking at one another. Ma-Ko's eyes said it all.

"Ha-Ru, please. Be mine."

* * *

**Oops. Sorry for the cliffhanger!**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know it was all hunting hunting, group feeling stuff, only to leave you with an intimate makoharu moment in the end. But guys, I will leave the makoharu for another chapter, because next chapter we are going to explore the life of the Outsiders! The complete opposite of the Pridelanders. This will be seen from 19/20 yo Rin's perspective! **

**See you in a couple of days!**


	6. Planning

**Hello again! I know it has been several days. But I had a fever for a couple of days so I wasn't really in the mood to write back then. Now I have a cold and it's terrible to work while having a runny nose.**

**This chapter is a little shorter than the two last ones. It had lots of dialogue and uhm, not much is happening. Again, it's mainly introductory. But I'm working towards the next chapter, so I promise the next one will be better. **

**But anyway! This is from Rin's perspective, meaning life in the Outlands. The Outsiders have a totally different 'culture' than the Pridelanders. They struggle for finding food and drinkable water. Life is tough. So beware of a more aggressive language and swearing. Also, be warned of mentions of rape and non-con. (Told you it was the opposite of the civilized Pridelanders). This chapter is mild when it comes to language, but the next chapter is going to be a lot more active and will even have some bloody, gory scenes in it. So next update this fic will be M-rated.**

**I was a little tired while writing this, so please let me know if I made any mistakes!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Rain hasn't come by again. It was always the same. The ground was as dead and as dry than it has ever been. Even though Rin has returned several times to the bridge to have enough water flooding the area, it didn't have any effect. He thought that if he could flood it regularly the soil could revive and perhaps grow some vegetation, but it didn't. Something really was wrong with the hard surface he was standing on. It didn't offer anything, expect for stability. It was making them suffer and Rin was getting suspicious.

The redhead was staring blankly at the basin that has been lying there for -he guessed- two days? He was sitting on his haunches, chin leaning against his palms. The water looked brown and everything except drinkable. Even though this water was their only resource right now, it has been making some of the members sick. It can only be because it has been contaminated by the ground. This water came from Pridelands, after all. Only this ground could addle such clear water. It was pissing Rin off. None of his methods on the area has worked. The Outlands remained as dry and as ugly as it has always been.

"Fuck."He hissed inwardly. What the fuck was going on? He realized his feet and legs were getting numb so he thought it was best to just stand up and head to the caves. He sat up, and Sei, who was casually rinsing himself in the water meanwhile, ignoring Rin's expletives, looked up. "Ya done thinking?"

"Yeah."

"Thought you'd never snap out of it."

"Sei, don't you think something's off with the water?"

"You mean the kids are gettin' more sick lately? Yeah."

"I think I know what might be the cause." He pointed a finger towards the surface. "I think-…"

"The ground has been makin' them sick? Wow, shit, never would've thought. Even in the fucking Pridelands you can get sick from eating ground, Rin."

"_Listen to me. _Look, you know I've been flooding this place from time to time, yeah? Normally stuff would start growin' as long as you give it enough water. I've seen mom do it. Even Gou has done it. I'm trying it on a bigger field and nothing is working. Sei, I think the ground 'ere is just fucked up. We can't even eat plants anymore just because not a single thing is growin' 'ere."

"So ya think we should move?"

"Yeah."

"And where are ya going to find more water than this one, eh?"

"I'll just go back."  
Sei just let out a laugh and lolled his head towards the sky. "Man, ya full of surprises. Go ahead than 'n tell Go-Ru about ya plan, Rin."

"Sure." Rin finished. Turning his back on Sei. Muttering to himself.

The rain was getting rarer as the seasons changed. Normally rain would fall for a couple of days in the winter, but until recently that hasn't happened either. It was a pain to see dark clouds stop exactly above the cliff, in contrast with the blue sky above the Outsiders' head, and drift away towards the Pridelands. It was like some higher force was making the tribe suffer by giving them almost nothing, but just enough to make them struggle for it. While the Pridelanders, well, they obviously had enough. They had fauna, flora and water in abundance. But Rin knew there was something up with the land he was living on. It just didn't feel… natural in comparison to what he saw above the cliff. Clouds aren't supposed to stop just above the cliff and then drift away in the opposite direction. When you flood an area, like Rin did, the soil was supposed to get soggy and then it should be prolific again. He even planted some seeds. Just what was missing…?

Just when Rin was about to look for Go-Ru in the cave, he suddenly saw Ai-Chi rush out and almost bump into him. "Ow… Ah! Rin! Go-Ru just wanted to see ya!" He babbled. "He looks a bit cranky so it must be somethin' important!" He continued softy. Rin cocked and eyebrow. "What now?"  
Rin didn't have the best relationship with the leader, but that wasn't abnormal. Rin has quite a sense of authority inside the tribe because he's Ru-O's only descendant, but Go-Ru was the one chosen by the tribe members to be the leader. Rin doesn't recall why. When Ru-O died, Rin was only a baby. Today he didn't understand how the tribe even _wanted_ Go-Ru to be leader. Go-Ru was a coward, and he was vile and disgusting. He abused women even if they partnered with other men. And above all, he didn't protect his men while hunting. Rin and the others had to watch as one of his tribesmen was dragged away by the leg by a hyena, but Go-Ru forced the others to retreat. They returned, sick, ashamed. Go-Ru claimed that it was for the sake of the others' safety, but he could have been saved if Go-Ru had just _let_ them. They could have slaughtered that beast. They could have eaten it for dinner.

The cave was empty, apart from Go-Ru sitting at the end with his arms folded, leaning against the side. His eyebrows were furrowed and his sharp grey eyes were looking at Rin. He looked… concerned.

"Sit down, Rin. Before me." Rin did as he said. The two men stared at each other for a while, until Go-Ru took a deep breath and let out an elongated sigh.  
"Rin."Go-Ru began. "There was something I have meant to tell you… a while back. You have reached an age where you have the right to know. I'm pretty sure you're familiar with Ru-O's story?"

"Story? No."

"No? Well then, I'll tell you now. Your grandfather Ru-O, well, he hasn't always lived here. He used to live up there, in the Pridelands. He wasn't only a member of the tribe, he was even the lead's brother." Rin's eyes widened. "Ru-O has been banished from the Pridelands, because Ru-O nephew, Ki-A, had battled with him, and he won. So things got a bit overboard there. It's a long story, even I don't remember much of it. But anyway, Rin. You are Ru-O's grandson. Do you know what that means?"

The information Go-Ru gave him still had to sink in. "…I am related to the leader of the Pridelanders."

"Exactly. And It has been Ru-O's dream to return, and to overthrow him. Ru-O didn't like living here, and I'm sure we don't either. But Ru-O was getting old. He was worn out because of all the shit he has been through, you see. So he choose someone to success him. He choose someone who could finish over his goal to overthrow the leader of the Pridelanders, and become the new Head. He choose his only living grandson."

Rin clenched his hands together and looked down… No. That is impossible. Overthrowing the head of the Pridelanders…becoming the new head? Ridiculous. "You must be kidding, right?" Rin scoffed. He was about to stand up and walk out. "I don't wanna involve myself in any of thi-…"

"Rin!" Go-Ru exclaimed. "You never wondered why we live here in the first place? Why we live separated? Why everything here is as arid as can be? This land is _cursed_, Rin. We can't stay here."

Dark clouds stopping right above the high rocky cliffs flashed before Rin's eyes. Rin turned around and sat again, this time closer. "Cursed?" He repeated, piqued in interest, unadmittedly.

"That's right. This is why the clouds stop right above the cliffs most of the time. Haven't you noticed?"

"Yeah…"

"It can be stopped, Rin. I am about to tell you a plan that has been roaming in my mind for a while. I have talked about this with Sei and Ai-Chi, and they agree."

Go-Ru looked at him with a determined glare in his eyes. He seemed dead serious about this. The fact that he even wanted Rin to become the new Head was something that surprised him all the more. He would have thought that Go-Ru wanted to take the honor for himself and become the head of the tribe. He had his suspicions about Go-Ru's real intentions, but if this plan meant change for the faith of the Outsiders, than he was willing to take all risks.  
"Then tell me what the plan is." Rin shot.

Go-Ru's grey eyes widened for a split second, then he grinned. "Well, Rin. I am glad to see that you are listening… Anyway…"He shifted back a little,"Do you remember that little Pridelander you met?"

Rin's breath hitched. Ha-Ru? What does he have to do with this?

"I was up on the cliff snitching some berries and mushrooms the other day. I noticed the kid standing there. I was just in time to hide in the grass. I was interested, so I stayed there to observe him a bit."

Rin stayed quiet.

"He is very recognizable with his pitch black hair, and –oh my, Rin- he is looking good. His blue eyes are just as stunning as that day I caught you and him at the place where I was standing. He looks healthy, clean, with pale skin, … that was some sight to behold, I tell you…"

Disgust was rising up in his chest. Ha-Ru is a man and yet… he dares to speak of him like this. Like he was a woman. However, Rin remained silent and waited until he heard the introductory part .

"I can tell he was thinking of you, Rin. He was staring at the Outlands, high above the cliff. But his eyes were looking a lot further… he was looking at you. Wondering where you are, how you are doing. I just_ know_ it. That is why, Rin, he is an important device. If you can win one tribe member's heart, you are able to reach the other members too. Their affection for you will spread like wildfire. They will welcome you with open arms. And if they do, the Head has but no other choice than to do the same. And that is when, Rin, you _strike_. It will be quiet, and fast, and no-one will have ever noticed, and no-one will ever believe it was you. Ki-A is around my age, Rin, and as you can see, I am not the fittest around anymore either. So finishing him off should be easy-peasy."

Silence filled the cave while Rin was letting his explanation sink in once again. Rin felt like there was a huge chunk missing out of his explanation. Ki-A managed to defeat Ru-O after a battle, even if it was so long ago. So why would Go-Ru assume that Rin can kill Ki-A, who is far more experienced in combat than Rin is?

"Go-Ru, why do you think I can kill Ki-A. He has defeated Ru-O, so why do you think I can defeat him?"

Go-Ru smiled. "Ru-O didn't choose you for no reason, now didn't he? Ru-O knew you had potential, and I do too. So does the rest of us. The men admire you and try to learn from your abilities. Rin, you must be blind if you don't see it yourself."

Rin's eyes dilated in surprise. Now this is something he is definitely _not_ used to. Go-Ru was the last person who Rin would've ever expected praise from.

_I guess we are really heading towards something._

* * *

**Meh, to be honest. I'm not really happy with this chapter myself. I didn't know where I was going with this. It's annoying to have great ideas but then not be able to write it down. I will have to read more so I have more figures of speech I can use... *sigh***

**Anyway. I have a lot of OC's here! lol. They are of course only used to support the main characters throughout the story. Go-Ru will be the only OC that will have more depth than the others, since he is the ultimate villain (shhh). He might look kind and supporting towards Rin now, but he's a lot crueler than you think, which you're going to see later.**

**For the next chapter, I repeat: There will be explicit scenes and will absolutely be M-rated, also, be warned of minor character deaths.**

**See you in a couple of days!**


	7. The Unfortunate Birth

**Extra info about the Outsiders:**

**1. Patriarchy is present in both camps, as you probably already noticed. The only difference in equality is that in the Pridelands the woman are considered just as important as men. They all carry an equally important task to keep the tribe alive. While the men go hunting, is it their task to watch over the children, guard the settlement, etc… While in the Outlands, well, the woman are often treated badly and are not as appreciated as in the Pridelands. There are only three woman in the Outlands: Gou, Chi-Gu and and an elder named Hou-Ta. Hou-Ta however, isn't really mentally stable. She prefers being alone and gets very angry when the men around her get too noisy. She literally throws a tantrum at them, but that doesn't stop the men from being continually abusive. Rin, Sei and Ai-Chi are of course the only ones that have a little respect. Because Gou is Rin's sister, the men keep their distance from her, since Rin can get aggressive. Rin is very protective of Gou, but also relies on her strengh, because Gou is not a weakling. Chi-Gu and Hou-Ta however, still receive the full load from the men. **

**I'm sorry Chigusa, I love you, but it's for the sake of the story. **

**2. The outsiders often use slang. The slang is a little pirate-like, they only don't go all 'savvy, and 'arrrrgh' or like something like, but when speaking towards the head, however, they use a bit more civilized language, since Go-Ru is of older age and was one of the tribe members that had joined Ru-O when he got banned from the Pridelands.**

**Sorry for any mistakes, please let me know if there are any!**

**PLEASE BE WARNED OF BLOOD/GORE AND VIOLENCE IN THIS CHAPTER.**

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After those particular words Rin had felt almost sick. But at the same time, satisfied. He hated to admit this feeling, but it was present. Rin despised Go-Ru, and it was a strange feeling to receive praise from someone he hated so much. Does it have to do with his position as a leader? Rin always had the inclination to prove himself. He wasn't doing this for Go-Ru, but since he was the leader, and thus a higher identity than himself, he somehow needed him to approve of his actions. Rin hated that double edged feeling, and it has pestered him ever since he was young.  
Ai-Chi praised Rin a lot too of course, even way too much to Rin's liking. But Ai-Chi's a good supportive friend, and only having one friend standing behind Rin's decisions is just… not enough.

Rin heard screaming when he headed outside. At first Rin thought it was a really noisy bird but then realized the screaming came from a woman. It felt like a lump of ice had frozen his inside.

_Gou._

"GOU!" Rin screamed. He ran around the cave and saw the screaming came from a nearer rock. He rushed there as fast as possible and could now make out his sister's red hair. She was sitting in front of Chi-Gu's spread legs. Both women were sweating, but Chi-Gu looked terrible. She was lying on the hard ground, crying. When Rin arrived he saw Gou was holding something in her arms that was letting out high pitched whiny noises. The ground was covered in blood. Gou turned around and looked at Rin. Despite the bags under her eyes, she looked very happy to see him. "Brother!" She exclaimed. Rin didn't reply and just came closer. He looked at the slimy crying mess she was holding. It seemed surprisingly healthy.

"It's alive, Chi-Gu… She is alive..."Gou muttered, voice crackling in emotion. Gou's eyes were getting teary and she carefully handed the child over to the mother. Chi-Gu, who was breathing hard, smiled and held the baby close to her chest. Gou meanwhile helped her get up and lean her back against the rock. Chi-Gu let out a noise that was something between a cry and a laugh. "She's… alive…" She sad with a smile, but it quickly fell into a grimace.  
"Ko-To… wanted a boy…"Chi-Gu muttered. Her whole face was wet from the tears, and her messy brown hair was hanging in tangles in front of her eyes.

"Ko-To wants many things." Rin replied. "I'm happy for you."

Chi-Gu was Ko-To's partner. Ko-To desperately wanted a son and that's why he often forced himself upon Chi-Gu. She already had two miscarriages, and both of them had been a boy. Meaning that this was the first Chi-Gu has beared a child that was alive. A girl however, but still alive.

Gou huffed. "If Ko-To starts complainin', I will deal with him personally."

"No. You will stay put." Rin quickly ordered.

Later Ko-To and the others returned after saying that they'll be off looking for food. They came back and to Rin's surprise, they we're all covered in dirt, from head to toe. "Camouflage." Ku-Ro said bluntly. "Because you flooded the place with water we could mix it with the ground and cover ourselves. Came in quite handy. We got quite lotta foxes."

Rin scoffed. "No wonder the kids get sick for fuck's sake. Who came up with that idea?"

"Go-Ru."

_He really doesn't give a damn, doesn't he. _

Ko-To had returned some time later, holding a dead fox in his hands. He saw Chi-Gu and Gou sitting by the rock. He quickly ran to them, seeing what became of his child. When he looked between the child's legs he saw something that he severely disapproved of.

"A girl, you are fucking kiddin' me, Chi-Gu."

Rin, who didn't expect less from Ko-To's reaction, scoffed again, but didn't budge.

"Chi-Gu, you have givin' me two dead fuckin' babies and this is how you repay me, huh." He bend over his partner to take the baby away and give it his personal blessing, but Chi-Gu quickly backed away, screaming "NO!"

"Give it to me, already!"

"No… please… No no no…"

"Chi-Gu, you shit-…"

Before he could use his fists to get what he wanted, Gou stepped in and grabbed Ko-To's neck, making him waver back. "You. Will. Not. Fuckin'. Touch. Her. And. Her. Fucking… Child." She stood in front of him with her face in front of him, nose barely an inch away from his.  
Rin is very protective of Gou, but also trusts her. Gou was strong and knew how to intimidate others when it was needed. Also, Rin couldn't resist watching Ko-To get embarrassed.

"Gou, stay away." Ko-To said, in a soft volume that amused Rin even more. He noticed from the way he was hesitating that Ko-To wanted to fight back, but since Ko-To was most likely aware that he was watching, he didn't. He stood back.

* * *

"_Get up… get up, for fuck's sake." he sneered. The blue eyed boy stood up, staggering a little. He was soaked from head to toe. He was shivering quite badly, to his surprise. He held himself tightly with his frail arms, as if he's trying to protect himself. "What are ye doin'?" He asked. It was too strange. Did he really think he could come out alive by trembling? What an idiot. _

_"Y-you.. What? Protecting myself!" He replied. Is he sick? _

_"What, fo'real? Ya think shivering like a nutcase will bring ya that far?"_

"_I'm scared!" Oh, he's scared. Well he better be scared. He's about to get tacked with my spear if he dares to come near me again.  
He has grown to hate everything that lives above the cliff. It is unfair. And then this kid dares to come here?_

"_Wow, scared ya definitely are! The hell, I knew it, Pridelanders are all the same. They've all they already need. Th'animals just lie dead in front of ya. Ya don't even need a hunt…"_

_All of the sudden the hyenas appeared. They looked hungry and out for some human flesh. Shit, he had to run. Should he leave the Pridelander here? He has more to give to the hyenas than him after all. Unfortunately Rin is not a coward and doesn't sacrifice other humans for his stead, so he took the Pridelander's hand and screamed. _

_"Shit, hyenas! Run, fattie, RUN!"_

…

"_Thank you, I am indebted to you. You were really brave."_

_What was this guy saying? And why was he smiling? What made Rin so warm all of the sudden? He stared at those big blue eyes that were shimmering in gratitude. He wore an expression that the redhead has only seen on Ai-Chi. Rin normally didn't receive such kindness for saving a life. And he thought he was brave? _

"_Uh…yeah." He muttered." 's what I do.. uh… the name's Rin, by the way."_

"_I'm Ha-Ru." The black-haired boy said, still smiling. _

"_Well, Ha-Ru" Rin said, trying to recollect himself, "Ye don't have to thank me. Running for me life is somethin' I do every day. It ain't new. An outsider doesn't need anybody. I take care of myself."_

_Ha-Ru just stood there with wide eyes, clearly infatuated by his totally different lifestyle. "Cool." He whispered."What were those things?"_

"_Hyenas." Rin explained. "Nasty beasts. Everyone hates them. They kill everythin' that lies in their way." And after Rin finished that particular sentence, he saw something approaching him. Or no, they were many figures approaching him. Humans. Oh no, Ha-Ru's tribe._

_..._

"_Who are you? What were you doing to my son?" The woman screamed at him. He held Ha-Ru tightly in her arms, covering his eyes. Like she was trying to protect the boy from all possible horror in this world. But before Rin could even try and defend himself, his own tribe arrived. They climbed up from the cliff, looking surprised to find him sitting there, but mostly surprised because of the Pridelanders standing there. _

"_For fuck's sake, Rin! What were you doin'?" Go-Ru shouted. _

"_Go-Ru." A low intimidating voice came from behind him. Rin turned around and suddenly saw a tall, broad ruddy-haired man looking at him. He moved his eyes from Go-Ru and then to Rin. His eyes were very green and looked… really angry. Fear crawled up to Rin and made his body numb. Everything was growing numb. He couldn't see anymore. _

"_Fuck, Rin! Wake up!"_

_huh?_

"RIN!"

Rin's eyes shot up and he was met with Sei's amber eyes. Sei was covered in sweat and has never looked so tense. "Rin! You're finally awake! Leave, leave! Hyenas.."

Rin heard them. Hyenas laughing. They were muffled sounds and to Rin's horror they didn't come from outside.

"Rin. They are in the fucking cave, right now! Leave!"

"I'm not gonna leave! Where's Gou?"

Sei didn't reply, instead he looked at him deeply concerned. What was that supposed to mean? Gou can't be in danger. She can fight back. Unless Sei is hiding something. Ignoring everything Sei has ordered him to do, Rin grabbed the nearest spear that was lying on the ground and headed further into the cave to look for her sister, still hearing the muffled sounds of the laughter. He saw spatters of blood on the ground. He could only guess who got killed and who didn't. Ko-To, Sei and Go-Ru were the ones who most likely must have survived. They've had enough experience with hyenas.

Rin was now running, his insides feeling colder and colder as fear crept up to him. It was almost making him numb. By the time Rin's was getting hysterical, shouting his sister's name repeatedly, he heard soft crying echoing the large space Rin occupied. Several rays of moonlight shone on the cold surface, revealing more blood spatters. The source of the laughing was getting nearer. Rin tried getting closer to the source, feet looking red from the blood he stepped on. He looked down and noticed the blood described a trail, one leading to a corner. As he neared closer the laughing went over in soft growling and, to Rin's utmost horror, flesh getting ripped apart. Someone was lying there, being eaten, and Rin couldn't see who.  
Rin almost bounced back when he heard high pitched screaming coming nearer from behind him. He saw a blink of cherry red hair running past him and attacking the source of the growling. It was Gou who screamed and held a dagger steady in her arm. Ready to avenge whoever was being eaten right now.

"G-GOU!"

"NO! CHI-GU! NO!"

Rin ran as fast as he could, but stopped instantly when the growling stopped and ran over in a loud yelp, and then a short series of howling, admitting its defeat. Then a dagger fell with a loud clang, and everything went quiet. It was horribly still. He stepped closer and fell on his knees together with his sister when he noticed the corpse on the floor. The rays of moonlight has now reached the dark space were they we're standing and shone on Chi-Gu's blank eyes. She was covered in blood and had chunks of flesh missing on her limbs. He quickly withdrew his eyes from the corpse and joined Gou, who sat on the floor after letting out a elongated screech. He held her tightly and tried covering her eyes. At that moment, Rin didn't know anymore how much suffering the tribe could take. The children were sick, it stopped raining, food was getting scarcer as the days flew by. There was nothing to live for here, they were born to die.

The sight was just too horrible. Instead he looked at the stabbed beast that now lied on the ground behind the two, but saw something that now even looked worse. A much smaller heap of flesh, with little legs and arms… Rin's face pulled into a grimace and now felt tears stinging the corner of his eyes. Words couldn't describe the pain that now filled his body. It hurt. Trying to calm the ache in his heart that now stung terribly, he buried his face into Gou's neck, and tried lifting them both up. Trying to lead Gou and himself away from everything that hurts them. He pulled from his sister and pulled on one of Gou's arms, trying to tell her that they had to leave. With bloodshot eyes looking at her brother, she complied. They had to get themselves out of here. Away from the stench of blood and fear.

When they left the cave, and the harsh light of the moon made them blink their eyes, he saw all the tribe members sitting in a small circle in front of them, painfully quiet. They looked at him with faces that looked pale and worn out. Except Hou-Ta, who Rin hadn't seen all day, had her knees trapped together and had buried her face in it. All of them were unharmed, apart from Ku-Ro, who had a bite wound on one of his legs. And then there was Go-Ru. Go-Ru sat there, avoiding all possible eye contact with Rin.

The sadness that had occupied Rin had been replaced by pure genuine anger for Go-Ru. Without thinking twice he let go of his sister and surged towards the tribe's leader. He grabbed the man's shoulder and pushed him on the ground, legs now straddling his waist. Rin's face was now an inch away from Go-Ru and was trembling in rage. Rage that Rin has never felt before. He wanted to scream in Go-Ru's face, punch him, bite him, do all possible things that could harm him. But he didn't. He gritted his teeth and spoke, with breath heaving:

"Ya told…everyone… to fucking leave…without looking twice… did ya?" He spat out the last words menacingly. Go-Ru meanwhile kept his expression blank. Nose only in twitching a little in response. His breathed in slowly, trying to calm himself, and spoke up again.

"That fuckin' stinkin' plan of yours… will start tomorrow…" Rin said. "All of this bullshit… has to end."

"Brother..." Gou's soft voice came from behind.

* * *

**...**

**I didn't like writing this chapter. I don't remember why I decided to let a character die like that and honestly, I feel bad for it. But I absolutely wanted to emphasize how distressing the situation in the Outlands is. So I really apologize for the readers that liked Chigusa, but I swear her death in the story will have a good influence on Gou and will make her a very contributing factor on the story. I swear that everything will be a lot better from now on. You have read the most violent chapter of the series.**

**Next chapter we will return to the Pridelands, and we'll see how the relationship between Ha-Ru and Ma-Ko continues.**

**Reviewers, and followers: Seriously, thank you so much for putting up with this story, and I really hope this chapter hasn't shocked you too much! :s **

**See you in a few days!**


	8. Ma-Ko's decision

**There it is! I promised (I think?) a makoharu-chapter! Though it's a little short!**

**Ma-Ko is making tough decisions for both Ha-Ru and himself, because he thinks it's his responsibility as a leader to care for him, his mother and the rest.**

**Ma-Ko's character is not one of a leader, and so it is hard for him to take good measures.**

**This is written more or less from Ha-Ru's perspective again.**

**Slight non-con warning.**

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The area was bathing in the moonlight as the Rei, Na-Gi and the other members were getting cozy outside. It was warm and to get themselves even more comfortable they decided to grab some of the antelope skin the men have gathered and use them as sheets. Together they were lying around the campfire, creating the atmosphere they had hoped for to achieve ever since Ki-A's passing.

However, at the end of the dark cave, the atmosphere has gotten clammy .Ma-Ko and Ha-Ru were the only ones awake. Ha-Ru had difficulty breathing. Or at least, that's how it felt to him. He hadn't felt so uneasy in a long time. If he should choose between this particular feeling or getting run over by an antelope, he'd rather go for the latter. Ma-Ko looked so incredibly sad, but he also looked determined of his decision.

"Ma-Ko..." Ha-Ru whispered, mouth dry, tracing the ants running away from him with his eyes. "I can't. I'm sorry, but it just can't."

"Please, Ha-Ru, listen to me." Ma-Ko began, shifting closer to Ha-Ru and trying to look at him in the eyes. As Ha-Ru was strolling back, he grabbed his hands and sat in front of him, sitting as close to him as he could, yet still giving Ha-Ru the personal space he needed. Despite that, everything about Ma-Ko's movements and words struck Ha-Ru like sparks of electricity, and the lump in his chest was growing bigger by the second. When Ma-Ko touched him he tried releasing himself, because the feeling was only getting worse. He was getting so nervous.

"You're the one who I trust the most, and you make me feel safe. Ever since I was little you are the only one I have ever looked up to. The women are kind and caring, but Ha-Ru, you are exceptional to me. You are the one I love. That is why I want you to be my partner, and I also want you take over my position when I'm gone-…"

"Ma-Ko, it can't!" Ha-Ru yelled. He quickly realized he was being too loud and tried keeping his voice down. Keeping his eyes on the few men sleeping in the cave, who he couldn't recognize. He covered his eyes with a hand he had managed to free from Ma-Ko's grasp. He swallowed the lump in his chest that grew bigger as all the information seeped in. Ha-Ru didn't want to believe it, but there was no use in denying it. Ha-Ru must have known since that kiss from yesterday. Ma-Ko is in love with him and wants him to be the Head's partner, for all eternity.

"I love you. Do you love me, Ha-Ru?"

Ha-Ru looked away, wishing nothing but to leave. He wanted to go swim, right now. "I… don't know." He replied. And he really didn't. Ha-Ru didn't think of a future with Ma-Ko. It didn't even cross his mind once that Ma-Ko might want Ha-Ru as a partner. He had guessed that when Ma-Ko became leader, he would pick a woman and have children. The same goes for him. Ha-Ru would choose a partner for himself, have children, maybe two or three, and the both of them would have a happy family, and stay friends until they were old. That was what Ha-Ru had always thought. It wasn't a different faith than from the other men. Just when did Ma-Ko start thinking of Ha-Ru this way?

"What about yesterday? The kiss, did that make you feel bad?"

"I don't know what that was, Ma-Ko. You just kissed me without a warning, how was I supposed to act?"

"You could have dodged it, but you didn't."

"Because I didn't know what to do."

The taller man sighed.

"… I didn't hate it." Ha-Ru said after a while.

"You didn't hate it." Ma-Ko repeated. He suddenly grabbed Ha-Ru's chin so Ha-Ru saw his green eyes, and once again, without a second warning, Ma-Ko's hand slipped behind Ha-Ru's head, grabbed his hair and pressed their lips together for a second time. This time with much more force than yesterday. Ha-Ru felt his lips getting pried open by Ma-Ko's tongue and invading his mouth. Unlike the day before, Ma-Ko didn't give Ha-Ru time to get used to it and enjoy it, but conquered Ha-Ru's lips and mouth completely. Ma-Ko's other arm snaked around Ha-Ru's waist and held him tightly. Meanwhile the taller man kept plunging his tongue inside the raven's mouth, stroking his fingers through his black hair, making it impossible for him to escape. Ha-Ru kept his arms against Ma-Ko's chest, offering him some sense of stability. But somewhere he knew he had already lost.

After a brief moment Ma-Ko's lipt left Ha-Ru's with a pop. Leaving Ha-Ru with a face flushed a deep red.

"Didn't hate that either?" Ma-Ko inquired, looking angry somehow. Breathing heavily.

Ha-Ru felt lost and didn't feel like replying anymore. He didn't like the feeling Ma-Ko was giving him. What was going on with Ma-Ko? Is this because of the turn of events? Ma-Ko's loss, his new position, and his new responsibilities?

"Ma-Ko, please…"Ha-Ru whispered, looking away from Ma-Ko's focused green eyes. "Please think about what you're doing. Just get yourself a woman, have children. Forget about me."

"Ha-Ru, I can't. The women can't make me feel the way like you can. It's just… not working. I have thought about this, Ha-Ru. Over and over again. I want _you_ to think about this now. Please, Ha-Ru."

The more Ma-Ko spoke out Ha-Ru' name, the more uncomfortable he felt. Whenever Ma-Ko would call out his name with his kind soothing voice, a wave of calmness would wash over Ha-Ru. But this time, the syllables he used were forced out and desperate, trying to make Ha-Ru understand something that the raven doesn't want to accept.

"You want me to think about this? Is this what you want?" Ha-Ru mumbled. Voice shivering. "You want me to admit that I love you, while I don't know? Ma-Ko, this is not like you. You normally are kind and… considerate… and…" Ha-Ru doesn't have words left. There was both anger and sadness bubbling up inside him. He _had_ to leave. Now.

He pried himself away from Ma-Ko, stood up as fast as he could and ran away, leaving the brunet alone in the dark cave.

"Ha-Ru, sorry…" He heard him whispering as he left.

Before he knew it, tears starting flowing over his cheeks as he ran. He didn't realize he was holding them up until he met the soft breeze from outside.  
But Ha-Ru suddenly remembered that Ma-Ko was the Head. Ma-Ko knew he could choose Ha-Ru's faith, and he is willing to do that just so Ha-Ru could stay by his side. But again, why? Why is he deciding things _for _him? Why can't Ha-Ru just choose for himself what he wants? He thought Ma-Ko was a friend that would let Ha-Ru go his own way, and grant him the freedom he desired. The thought was making him only feel worse.

Ha-Ru needed the lake right now. He wanted to drift above the surface and submerge his back and legs into the cool water. It was warm after all and the conversation he just had with Ma-Ko only made him feel hotter. He ran further, and as the campfire's light faded away, Ha-Ru looked up. He was met with a full moon that shone upon him, not one single cloud covering it. The moon was blurry from the wet tears that started pooling under his eyes as he looked up. He wiped them away with his arm and continued running. The moonlight leading him to the woods. Where the trees surrounding the lake welcomed him to soothe his bleeding heart.

* * *

**I know it's a short chapter (+/- 1200 words or more), but this part has been rotting in my folder forever and I needed to publish it asap.**

**I'm not 100% certain, but I think next chapter will be written from Makoto's perspective, since he is also and important character and his thoughts and feelings need to appear at least twice or three times in this fic.**

**See you in a couple of days, and a happy eternal summer!**


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